Which process in emergencies decides treatment order based on severity?

• A. Mitigation
• B. Response
• C. Triage
• D. Preparedness

Answer: (C)

Triage is the process of sorting patients to determine treatment order based on severity during emergencies. This directly addresses who needs care first and who is most likely to benefit from immediate intervention when resources are limited, which is exactly what deciding treatment order by severity requires.

Mitigation focuses on reducing risk before an event, preparedness is planning and training beforehand, and response covers actions during the event in a broad way. Triage is the specific method used within the response phase to prioritize care based on how seriously ill or injured each person is and how likely they are to survive with treatment. This prioritization helps maximize the number of lives saved when resources like staff, beds, and equipment are scarce.